


All I Want

by nostalgiawrites



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:22:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nostalgiawrites/pseuds/nostalgiawrites
Summary: Rebekah Hardy, professionally known as Rebel, isn’t one of those Hardy’s – or is she? After flourishing in the indies, eventually her muscular, 5’10 frame catches the eye of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who call her in to place her with The Shield in the mistaken belief she will be their eye on the band of brothers.  Unknowingly, they put the final puzzle piece in place – but no one makes it through life in the WWE unscathed and The Shield are no different. Bonds will be created, tested, shaken and broken. Who will come out on top?
Relationships: Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black, Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black/Original Character(s), Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously, I’m just a person with too many fanfic ideas in their head and not enough time to write them all. I definitely don’t own anyone or anything associated with the WWE. This is all for entertainment. Probably more to scratch the niggling itch in my brain than anything else.
> 
> This is actually the second time I’ve started all of this. I had a very lengthy chapter written YEARS ago and my computer shat itself so I lost everything. It’s taken me a long time to get around to writing it all again but I do actually want to write this story, so here I am. My original chapter was absolutely massive and when I started re-writing it sort of threatened to be the same so I decided I would split it up instead. So this is just a portion of what it was going to be. 
> 
> This story probably contains a lot of elements you’ve seen before, which is fine, I wanted to challenge myself to take these tropes and see where I would go with them. This is what I do for fun, you know? I have other things I would like to write with less tropes too and I will get to them as well but I go where the inspiration takes me. Right now, it’s here. If you’ve reached the end of my too-lengthy author’s note (all of this will not be featured in future chapters), congratulations and I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> PS: This features kayfabe as reality.

Some say luck is for losers; Rebel was more inclined to believe intimidation is for losers.

The thick black heels of her boots clicked against the floor as she made her way to the McMahon-Helmsley office for the day. Rebekah Hardy, better known as Rebel on the indie circuits, was dropping off her signed and finalised contract. Rebel had spent most of her life in love with wrestling, in part due to her last name. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, she idolised the brothers with the same name as her. Of course, when she finally started wrestling, she was all too aware that trying to bill herself as Rebekah Hardy would only have people asking if she was attempting to ride coattails, real name or not.

Rebel it was.

At 5’10, Rebel was on the taller side, and she prided herself on her muscular form. Rebel took shit from nobody and anyone who saw her knew it. Her elbow length blonde hair was currently pulled back into a braid, and she wore only a hint of makeup. With a plain back shirt, black jeans and black leather boots, she already looked like she belonged to the group that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon intended her to join. When she reached the right door, Rebel raised one hand to knock boldly and waited until the deep voice of Hunter Hearst Helmsley beckoned her in.

Stephanie McMahon and her husband both looked Rebel over appraisingly as she nudged the door shut behind them. Despite her youth and her newness to the company, she hardly seemed rattled by being in their presence and when each member of the couple held out a hand, she shook them confidently. Taking the indicated seat, she cleared her throat, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Thank you for this opportunity.” All the back and forth so far had been through phone calls, emails and even the odd fax. This was the first time they had all met in person. Stephanie offered the woman they had personally chosen to bypass the developmental territory in order to fulfill their main roster plans a sly smile.

“You’re most welcome, Rebel. I’m excited to see you dispensing some justice around here.” Rebel disguised a smirk as her new boss’s velvety voice flowed through her ears. Sure, she’d been hired with the knowledge that Stephanie and Hunter wanted someone they could trust to join the dominating force known as the Shield but Rebel wasn’t foolish enough to let that be written into her contract. Truthfully, she couldn’t give a damn about the Authority. She just wanted in. And doing so while joining the most dominant force in the WWE? She liked that.

“I’ve organised for you to have lunch with the boys. A little get-to-know-you get-together.” Hunter stated as Rebel placed the paperwork down on Stephanie’s desk. She hummed, nodding a little.

“Sounds good. Where do I go?”

Hunter smiled at her like the cat who caught the canary and stood up from his chair. “I’ve organised for a company car to take you there. They know you’re coming. I’ll walk you out.”

* * *

“Who exactly is this broad?” Dean asked, leaning back against the cushioned booth he and the other members of the Shield were sitting in. Lunch on the boss’s dime and the boss’s orders? Why not. A new member being introduced to their little group? Not so exciting. None of the three were sold on the idea of a new member, particularly not when they’d been having their own private discussions on how long keeping in the McMahon-Helmsley’s good books would remain high on their list of priorities. Being approached to work for the Authority had seemed like the perfect way to rise through the ranks but they didn’t plan on remaining aligned with them forever; they would be at their best when they were making their own choices. The last thing they needed was an Authority mole reporting these things back to the bosses. Then again, maybe they already had an inkling that the Shield would go into business for themselves soon enough if they were forcing another teammate upon them.

“Hunter said her name is Rebekah Hardy, but she goes by Rebel on the indies.” Seth said, hearing Dean snort in response. “It’s her real name, dude.” He said, before Dean could voice his next thought, “But I guess your reaction is why she goes by Rebel. I’ve watched a few of her matches – she looks good.”

“So she has some skill,” Dean sneered, “If she’s a rat for the Authority, it doesn’t matter.”

“She’s not going to break us.” Roman said, “Whether she is or isn’t. At least if she has some talent we won’t have to babysit her. And she won’t make us look bad.”

“Please don’t tell me your viewpoint is ‘give her a shot’?” Dean groaned, especially when both Seth and Roman gave him _the look_. “Alright, alright. But I ain’t trustin' her.”

“Of course not, she has to earn that. Just don’t be a total ass from the get go.” Seth told him, watching as his brother rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed.

* * *

Rebel slid her sunglasses off her face and attached them to her shirt as she entered the restaurant. One glance told her that it wasn’t as fancy as she’d feared – which was probably thanks to Hunter setting up the place rather than Stephanie. None of the Shield looked like they did fine-dining, and Rebel was happy with a simple burger. The lady behind the counter seemed to recognise her straight away, which was rather unexpected. She didn’t complain as she was pointed in the right direction, sauntering up to the booth just in time to catch Seth advising Dean not to be a total ass. They were questioning her. That was okay, Rebel would have questioned the sudden addition too in their place.

Roman was the first to notice her, glancing up and offering her a tight but polite smile. “You must be Rebekah – or is it Rebel?”

“Most people call me Rebel these days.” She said with a shrug of one shoulder. Either name was fine by her though and she offered the Samoan powerhouse a hand. He took it and was impressed by her firm shake. “You must be Roman.”

“And this is Seth, and Dean.” He introduced his other teammates, prompting Rebel to shake both of their hands too. Dean seemed disinterested but gave a sharp squeeze of her hand and watched to see if she winced. She didn’t but instead returned the same pressure. The lunatic fringe cracked a small smile and Rebel took a seat in the booth beside Roman.

“How old are you?” Dean was the first to ask a question and Rebel was quick to hide a small smile. She suspected this would be more of an interview – or maybe even an interrogation.

“I’m 23. Born July 7, 1990.”

“How long’ve you been wrestlin'?”

“I started training when I was 15. Mom had to sign a waiver. She wasn’t exactly impressed but she let me since I never shut up about wrestling and she knew I’d nag her to death. I was managing on shows once I turned 16, found ways to try and insert myself in things where I could but no one was all that interested in actually booking me in matches until I turned 18. That was when things really took off.”

“And your last name?” This time it was Roman who asked and Rebel glanced sideways at him with a smile.

“Coincidence but also catalyst. No relation – to be honest it was just me and my mom. But the buzz around the Hardy Boyz and having the name? Plus living so close? Hell yeah that kick-started my infatuation with wrestling. Mind if I ask a question now?” Roman looked amused but nodded at her. “What’s happening tonight? Am I joining you?”

She got the impression that there was a silent discussion going on around her as the original members of the Shield all looked at one another intently. In the end, it was Seth who spoke up. “Yeah, you are. It’s a good chance for us to see you in action and get a feel for if – how – we work together as a team.”

The sound of a throat clearing distracted all of them and all four wrestlers turned to find a waitress smiling at them. “Ready to order?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squaring her shoulders, she ran in for the lock up only to find herself ousted from the ring as unceremoniously as Dean, landing in a heap right beside him. Groaning in pain from the collision with the floor, she could only listen as Ziggler capitalised in the ring and pinned Roman.
> 
> One.
> 
> She managed to roll over onto her belly.
> 
> Two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously, I’m just a person with too many fanfic ideas in their head and not enough time to write them all. I definitely don’t own anyone or anything associated with the WWE. This is all for entertainment. Probably more to scratch the niggling itch in my brain than anything else. Also, I’m attempting to stay relatively close to the actual storyline/s but there will definitely be plenty of creative license taken as well as you’ll likely see.
> 
> So we're onto the second third of what the original chapter one was? It got kind of mammoth on me. Originally I was going to have all of RAW in one chapter but I was writing like a madwoman. Not all the chapters will contain shows either, by the way but I’ve split this episode into two chapters. Also after this chapter, I'll probably take a little longer to get updates for this one up – my apologies for that. Now, onto the story!

Even from the locker room backstage, Rebel could hear the _Cena Sucks_ chant coming from the crowd. Yes, the TV set in the corner was on but Dean had muted it when he realised the sound was travelling to them all the way from the ring. He snickered a little but soon turned the sound back on in order to listen to what Cena was saying. A small frown creased Rebel’s brow as she thought about what had happened the night before; wondering how her new teammates felt about the actions of their boss. Quite frankly, she thought it was bullshit. Sure – the money in the bank briefcase could be used to your advantage at whatever time you felt like it, even if Rebel wasn’t quite so sure running out at the end of someone’s hard fought match wasn’t the greatest way. But the fact that Triple H had inserted himself to Randy’s benefit – she wasn’t so sure about that – the argument that it was ‘best for business’ didn’t sit well with her. Of course, the Shield were meant to dispense justice but being under the Authority’s thumb didn’t seem conducive to that.

Little did she know; her teammates were having similar thoughts. That doing justice should be done their way. At the moment, their concern was that Rebel wouldn’t feel the same way. Seth nudged Roman when he noticed the look on her face and the two shared a moment. This was still a long game, they’d only just agreed to work for Stephanie and Hunter and turning on the Authority would have to happen when the time was right but maybe if they played their cards right, Rebel would be an asset and not a hindrance. Eventually. For now, they actually had to hope she could keep herself together long enough that Stephanie and Trips believed they were a cohesive unit that believed in the Authority’s vision of what was best for business, rather than just a cohesive unit that was going along with what was best for their own business currently.

* * *

“Ziggler’s gonna learn a lesson tonight.” Dean rasped as the four watched Brad Maddox announce the match later that night. Rebel smiled a little and gave a soft hum. She had no doubt Ziggler _would_ learn a lesson. She didn’t envy people in a three-on-three match with the Shield, let alone with this handicap. Not to mention, she was hardly afraid of chipping in and getting in the ring herself if it came to that. Not only that, but she was dressed for a fight, just like the boys. Form fitting black pants, black wrestling boots that took some aesthetic inspiration from combat boots, a black cropped top that was mostly covered by a carefully designed swat vest. It didn’t add too much bulk, or hide her curves and yet still didn’t stray from being exactly what it was. She was in love with the gear. Her long hair was pulled back in a braid again, keeping it out of the way in case she did need to shake things up in the ring with them.

It wasn’t long before she could observe the quiet intensity of all the men as they prepared themselves for battle. Dean and Seth both jumped from foot to foot, with Dean muttering to himself while Seth silently prepped. Roman was much more stilled, shaking out his arms. Rebel did a few stretches herself, watching as each man grabbed a bottle of water and joined in formation to head out to their entrance point. A split second before entry, each of them dumped the water over their heads and carelessly handed off the bottle to the crew that had followed them out.

_SIERRA. HOTEL. INDIA. ECHO. LIMA. DELTA._

_SHIELD._

“And his opponents, at a total combined weight of 707 pounds, the United States Champion, Dean Ambrose, the WWE tag team champions, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, accompanied by Rebel Hardy; The Shield!”

What the actual fuck?

Rebel could hear all the murmurs around them at the announcement of her last name but carefully kept her face schooled. No one in the audience needed to know that _that_ was not supposed to happen. Someone was going to get told off when this was all over and done with.

Walking behind Dean, she watched as he hopped the barrier with ease, giving no thought to the newest addition to the team behind him. Cursing internally, Rebel wished she’d had a chance to actually practice beforehand but it was too late now. Roman had already crossed over with the other side and there was no chance she was going to just watch Seth vault over and leave her behind in the crowd. This wasn’t the first fence she’d ever jumped, so she put one hand down and quickly leaped it, grateful for her height. Rebel followed Dean over to the steps like there was never any moment of internal worry for her and climbed them, as much attention focused on their opponent as her teammates. While she questioned their bosses, she was fully in this team and planned to prove it.

None of the boys weighted down the rope to help her in and she didn’t waste any time acting like they should have, instead stepping in just the same as them. Dean spread his arms, and Rebel crossed hers over her chest, all four of them staring down Dolph Ziggler. They locked eyes for one moment and she raised her eyebrow, jutting out her chin in a challenge. His eyes flicked to one of the guys and the referee began to usher them out. Rebel was first, dropping to the floor and out of the way whilst Seth and Roman climbed out to stand by the turnbuckle. She collected the belts, keeping them on the stairs and out of anyone’s way for the moment. Roman caught her eye, looking almost surprised for a millisecond, as though they’d forgotten she was even there with them.

Dean started and Rebel couldn’t help a little smirk at his taunting of Dolph, rounding the ring to stand by Seth and keep a good view of the match. Offering a hand to lock up with Dolph, Dean tried to reel him in but the show-off was a little too slippery to fall victim. Circling slightly, they leapt into a more vicious lock-up and Dean began to slowly push Ziggler towards their corner. Seth urged Dean on while Rebel watched quietly but intently and at the last second, Dolph reversed it, pushing Dean into the corner and darting away. Dean rolled his neck and Rebel had to fight not to instinctively imitate the gesture. The bleach-blond managed to slam Dean to the mat once but on his second attempt, the lunatic fringe caught the arms wrapped around him and began to back Dolph into the Shield’s corner where he stuck out a hand for Seth to tag in then allowed Dolph to quickly push them both further out into the ring.

Unfortunately, Dolph was quick to turn to Seth and start throwing punches. Rebel growled as Dean rolled out of the ring, slamming her hands down against the canvas; “Come on, Seth!” She encouraged, garnering herself a glance from Dean before he walked around to tap Roman’s leg, adjusting their placement and jumping up to stand at the turnbuckle again. Meanwhile, Dolph whipped Seth into the ropes and managed to catch him as he rebounded, throwing him over his head so the man flipped to land on his back on the canvas. Ziggler kept on him, laying punches into him in the corner until the referee stepped in to physically pull him away. Scowling, Rebel slammed her hands on the canvas again, “C’mon Seth, he’s nothing!” she yelled, catching glimpse of a brief smirk on Dean’s face as she did.

Gathering himself, Seth lashed out and landed a boot to Ziggler’s mid-section when the show-off tried to charge right back into his corner, dropping him to his knees. Snarling, Seth grabbed him up by his hair and dragged him right over to the corner where Roman tagged himself by slapping the architect’s back. The bleach-blonde was still focused on Seth, throwing another punch as he got loose from the grip on his hair. Only when the referee yelled did he seem to realise he was fighting the wrong man, turning to Roman who was still standing on the side of the ring. When Ziggler started, Roman slammed him to the ground with an unflinching clothesline. Rebel smirked at a groaning Ziggler, quickly pulling back so Roman could jump down to land another hit and only moving back into place once he’d rolled into the ring. She grinned devilishly in encouragement at Roman as he kept laying into Ziggler, only having his attention for the briefest moment. He stood and followed the show-off to the ropes, pushing him down by the head and placing all the pressure on his throat, making him cry out in pain. He only let go when the referee had counted to four. Now Roman pulled the man up again before bodily tossing him into the corner and Rebel winced internally as Ziggler’s back collided with the top turnbuckle. Dean raised a hand in expectation while she and Seth watched the writhing man on the mat. Tagging Dean in, Roman stomped on Dolph’s back as he headed out, only for the lunatic fringe to take over with a stomp of his own. Then another, and another before he dropped an elbow and almost lazily covered Dolph, who managed to kick out on two.

“You got this, Dean.” Rebel voiced, surprised that Dean’s baby blues flicked to her own for the briefest of moments. Then he was dragging Ziggler up by the hair and pulling him into a forceful clothesline. Almost like he was testing her, he walked over and offered up the tag to Seth, who took it eagerly and began to line Dolph up for what she assumed would be the curb stomp. Rebel was vibrating with excitement, leaning in close to watch the spectacle as Dean stepped back out beside her. All she got was Seth booting Dolph in the gut – anti-climactic but still a little satisfying at least, given the way the show-off tried to guard himself, crying out in pain. Seth taunted him and she resisted the urge to call out to him, even though Rebel wanted to suggest the man’s finishing move. He booted Dolph in the side again and she watched as the force made him flip across the canvas, pouting internally when he tagged Dean back in. Seth doubled back and pulled the weakened Ziggler up, holding him by the arms so Dean could throw a punch. Seth released him and headed out of the ring, meanwhile Rebel watched as Ziggler dropped to his knees after another punch and Ambrose circled him like prey. Grabbing his head, Dean rained forearms against Dolph’s temple before letting him drop to the canvas. When their opponent rolled to his back, Dean reached for his feet, using them to leverage a stomp and then put pressure against Ziggler’s torso. With the show-off’s shoulders not quite against the mat, it didn’t quite become a pin but after that agony, Dean was quick to put Dolph into a cross-legged STF, using the man’s hair to pull his head back in order to lock his arms in place and pull back.

“Tap out now, show-off! Or we’ll put you away!” Rebel yelled, only for Dean to give a roar of pain a moment later thanks to an unexpected bite from Ziggler. Pissed off, when Dean went to strike Ziggler it was a little too wide and the show-off managed to capitalise on that, leaping on Dean’s back and putting him in a sleeper hold. Rebel began to pace angrily beside Seth, “C’mon Dean, he’s a Chihuahua who bit a hound! Put him down!” she yelled, missing Seth’s almost fond glance towards her. It was Ziggler who released his grip on Dean’s back and dropped his feet to the canvas, tugging them both back to bounce off the ropes. Fortunately, Dean managed to slip free of Dolph’s grip before the man could do anything serious, throwing him into the ropes and putting the show-off in a sleeper hold of his own. Unfortunately, Ziggler took a leaf out of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s book and dropped straight down, driving Dean’s chin into his shoulder with a stunner. Rebel didn’t think it had the same force the rattlesnake packed into his but she slammed her hands down on the canvas anyway, “You’ve fought through worse, Ambrose!” She yelled at him, rounding the ring as he reached to tag Roman in, clutching his jaw. Rebel was at his side by the time he rolled out, much quieter when she spoke again. “You alright?”

He grunted in response and she reached out for his chin, “Open up.” She demanded and peered into his mouth when he actually followed the instruction. “All your teeth are in order. You’ll be fine. How’s your hand?” The question made Dean growl, though he offered it to her. Fortunately, the skin hadn’t been broken so she only soothed her fingertips over the indents left behind. “We can ice it backstage but he didn’t break the skin.” It only gained her another grunt in return.

She looked up when there was a thud and the crowd let out a cheer, realising that Dolph had drop-kicked Roman and sent him to the mat. Rebel scowled. “Come on Roman!” She yelled, turning her attention to the match again as Dean pulled his injured hand back to cradle it. Unfortunately, the show-off followed the kick up with a neckbreaker and then hurtled over to knock Seth off the apron with a forearm. Somehow, even though Roman was rising from the canvas, Dolph managed to perform the Zig-Zag and seeing him go for the cover, Rebel snaked into the ring. She distracted him for just a moment but not long enough for Dean to take advantage, with the show-off flinging him out of the ring. Squaring her shoulders, she ran in for the lock up only to find herself ousted from the ring as unceremoniously as Dean, landing in a heap right beside him. Groaning in pain from the collision with the floor, she could only listen as Ziggler capitalised in the ring and pinned Roman.

One.

She managed to roll over onto her belly.

Two.

She pushed up onto her hands and knees, looking up just in time to see Seth slide into the ring and break the cover. Thank god. She crawled over to the apron and pulled herself up and in the time it took her to do that, by some miracle, Dolph had gotten control again and suplexed Seth out of the ring. She watched as his knee slammed into the barricade, wincing before turning to the ring. Roman was pulling himself up in the corner and she hoped the big guy could manage a spear. Instead of climbing in, she stumbled around the outside towards Seth, holding her back. Rebel was somewhat aware of the exhausted Ziggler watching her from where he was slowly pulling himself up with the ropes but couldn’t care less. Seth was hugging his knee to his chest and grimacing in pain. “Seth!” She dropped to her knees at his side and shot a glare up at Ziggler, “I’ve got you.” Rebel helped to carefully tug him into a seated position against the barrier, stroking lightly through his damp hair. He met her eyes and offered her a pained smile. For a moment, she forgot about what was happening in the ring, their eyes locked as a spark passed between them. It was cut short by a tremendous thud from the ring and just like that, they both had their full attention on the ring where Roman had just speared the hell out Dolph Ziggler.

“You’ve got this Roman!” Rebel yelled, watching as the powerhouse took his time with covering the wrecked Ziggler, easily scoring the three-count. Dean was already up and heading to the ring as their music sounded and Seth caught her attention by clearing his throat.

“Mind giving me a hand up?” Rebel just smiled at him and after wrapping his arm around her shoulder, managed to get them both up off the floor. He limped over to the ring with her, managing to climb in using both Rebel and the ropes for leverage before she followed him in. She stepped towards him but noticed the subtle shift of his body that meant he no longer wanted her support. Respecting it, she watched as they moved in to taunt Dolph, stepping up beside Roman when he dismissed the referee.

“It’s not your match anymore.” She followed up in dismissing the man, earning herself a rather nasty look. None of which stopped Dean and Seth from dragging Ziggler over to a roaring Roman and hoisting him up on the Samoan’s muscular shoulders. They triple power-bombed him to the canvas and ignoring the referee, Seth took a limping step toward Rebel.

“You know how to fly right? You mentioned aerial moves? Well now’s your chance.” He told her with a victorious grin, pointing at the turnbuckle. Rebel glanced at the other two men, gaining a nod immediately from Roman and a second later, a shorter one from Dean. It was almost a twitch but she nodded herself, rolling her neck and then climbing to the top rope. Rebel faced the crowd, unable to hear a sound that they were making. It almost seemed like they were waiting in awe to see what she would pull out – and perhaps they were but she doubted the silence was coming from anywhere other than her own mind. It was hardly like she was the only person to ever pull off a corkscrew 630° senton, certainly not the only one signed to WWE but Rebel was rather fond of the move regardless. She flashed a grin before launching off the top rope, body corkscrewing 180° before flipping 630° into the senton. Back solidly colliding with Ziggler’s torso, she felt the air rush out of him and despite small ripples of shock that ran through her, she immediately got to her feet and tossed her head back triumphantly. Her three teammates held out their fists and it only took one look from Seth for her to add her own to the mix.

* * *

Once they were safely back in their own locker room, Rebel let out a little cheer and hugged Seth excitedly without thinking. He hugged her back with a soft chuckled, “Yeah, wrestling in front of a WWE crowd is a different thing, huh?”

She beamed up at him from his chest, “For sure. So exhilarating. I couldn’t even hear a thing when I got up on that turnbuckle. And it was great to watch you guys up close as a unit.” Rebel changed gears completely when she felt Seth stiffen after putting more weight on the leg he’d hurt. “Shit, sit down. I’ll get you and Dean ice packs.” She urged, guiding Seth to one of the couches and then walking over to the fridge in the room. Fishing around in the small freezer compartment, she pulled out two ice packs and quickly found something to wrap them in. She pushed one into Dean’s bitten hand and then crouched to place the other on Seth’s knee. “You good, Roman? That was one hell of a spear.” The big man smiled at her from where he’d sat down.

“I’m good, baby-girl.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once he was sure that Rebel was far enough away from their office that their conversation would not be overhead, Hunter turned to his wife. “So, honey, would you know anything about how she ended up getting announced as Rebel Hardy?” He asked suspiciously.
> 
> Stephanie laughed at first in response before shrugging, “I might have mentioned it. Getting people talking about her is what’s best for business, after all.”
> 
> He let out a little snort, “Fair point. But let’s not get her too mad. I’d better make good on telling her it won’t happen again.” His wife gave a playful pout and Hunter caressed her cheek, “Don’t worry. I’m sure you got your wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously, I’m just a person with too many fanfic ideas in their head and not enough time to write them all. I definitely don’t own anyone or anything associated with the WWE. This is all for entertainment. Probably more to scratch the niggling itch in my brain than anything else. Also, I’m attempting to stay relatively close to the actual storyline/s but there will definitely be plenty of creative license taken as well as you’ll likely see.
> 
> So we're onto the final third of what the original chapter one was? It got kind of mammoth on me. Originally I was going to have all of RAW in one chapter but I was writing like a madwoman. Not all the chapters will contain shows either, by the way but I’ve split this episode into two chapters. 
> 
> Like I said, this story might take me a little longer to update – writing it is a bit more time intensive, particularly when the chapters contain matches from the show and I think they're important to show the way that Rebel is fitting in with the team. Feel free to let me know if you hate them, of course and maybe I can ease up a little but I promise the next chapter is much heavier on their interaction outside the ring and them learning about one another in a way that isn't getting thrown about heh. Please don't give up on this story, I do have big plans for it and hopefully a sequel or two, even if I am a bit late to this party!

After checking on her boys and making sure they were all okay, Rebel left the locker room to go and find The Authority to get some answers. She wanted to know why the hell she’d been introduced as Rebel Hardy when they had agreed never to use her surname – given that it would inevitably lead to the “but is she one of those Hardys?” questions and she had no interest in facing them and the scrutiny when she wasn’t trying to claim she was their family.

Glaring at Kane at the door when he tried to stop her and pushing her way through anyway, she crossed her arms and raised a brow at the power couple currently looking at her.

“What the hell was that out there?!” She demanded to know and even though she could see the small crease of irritation in Stephanie’s brow at her tone, Triple H was quick to put a soothing hand on her arm.

“We’re not sure, Rebel. I’m not even sure how the announcer knew, maybe when they were setting his cue cards for the evening, they were going off your contract and put down Hardy without thinking. I’ll get word to them and make sure it won’t happen again, okay? It was a one-time thing.” He told her, and even though she wasn’t quite sure she believed him, Rebel gave a sharp nod after a moment of contemplation.

“Alright. Fine. But it had better not happen again.”

“Rebel?” Stephanie McMahon said, and the blonde’s eyes darted over to her boss, one brow quirking in response. “You should get back to your locker room. Brad Maddox is going to let Big Show know shortly that he’ll be facing the Shield in a handicap match. I imagine you should be there.”

“Of course.” She responded, pulling up a smile even though she felt like already, she was beginning to see another side of her bosses. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” And she left as abruptly as she arrived.

Once he was sure that Rebel was far enough away from their office that their conversation would not be overhead, Hunter turned to his wife. “So, honey, would you know anything about how she ended up getting announced as Rebel Hardy?” He asked suspiciously.

Stephanie laughed at first in response before shrugging, “I might have mentioned it. Getting people talking about her is what’s best for business, after all.”

He let out a little snort, “Fair point. But let’s not get her too mad. I’d better make good on telling her it won’t happen again.” His wife gave a playful pout and Hunter caressed her cheek, “Don’t worry. I’m sure you got your wish.”

* * *

When Rebel arrived back at the locker room, Dean was pacing while the other two were calmly stretching. The copper blonde rounded on her, “Where were you? We have to go out there soon, aren’t you cutting it a bit close?”

“Sorry, Dean.” Rebel replied genuinely, her irritation with their bosses fortunately not trickling over to the locker room, “I went to see Hunter and Steph to figure out why the hell I got introduced as Rebel Hardy. Hunter claims he doesn’t know how but I’m pretty sure one of them or both of them had a hand in it. Still, he promised it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Oh.” Dean deflated slightly, “Cat’s outta the bag though, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But I’d still rather it didn’t continue. Maybe this way when something else happens they’ll forget all about it. So, we have a match against Big Show?”

“Yeah, baby-girl,” Roman answered, smiling at her in a dangerous way. “The three of us are allowed in there at the same time.”

“What about me? I’m part of this team, aren’t I?”

“Actually…” Seth commented, “Maddox just said _all_ of the Shield was allowed in there at the same time. He didn’t specify.” Rebel grinned at him devilishly, though Seth cleared his throat. “Be careful about it. I’m guessing you’ve never faced someone like Show before. And I have no doubt you’ll be helpful out there, but pick your moments right, is all I’m saying. He won’t expect you to get in the ring. Use that wisely.”

* * *

This time, they introduced her as Rebel – and as she stalked around the ring her boys were in with Big Show, she could at least be pleased by that. Not that she was too worried about this match. Yes, he was _big_ – big enough that any one of the boys on his own against the man might have a bit of an uphill battle (not that she thought they would lose) but surely all three of them would be hard to topple. Still, Rebel knew better than to take anything for granted, and watched with a readiness to jump in herself if necessary.

When the bell rang, Show was quick to barrel towards Roman, their powerhouse, using his momentum to flip the Samoan out of the ring as Dean and Seth leaped forward to deal with the giant. Rebel darted around to check on him while always keeping an eye on the ring. Dean and Seth were throwing punches as she crouched. “You good big guy?”

He grunted in response, but she already knew that meant he was okay but needed some time. She let him collect himself, watching Big Show clutch Seth’s head close while swatting Dean away like he was an annoying bug. Lip curling slightly, she realised that she had forgotten to factor in the big man’s level of endurance, which was higher than anticipated, though maybe it was only in bursts. She supposed they would find out.

Seth soon followed Dean’s trajectory to the canvas but the lunatic fringe was already up and on his feet – though Show reached out to grab him by the neck and shoulders – throwing him into the corner. Again, Seth followed once up to his feet, bouncing off Dean’s chest. Rebel listened to them both grunt as Show reared a leg back to strike Dean – following it with a headbutt that made the man sink to the canvas in the corner.

From somewhere behind her she could hear Jerry Lawler exclaiming that the Big Show was fresh while her boys had already competed tonight and she realised that she hadn’t exactly figured that into things either. Big Show scooped Seth up and she paced slightly, trying to figure out when the hell her moment would be.

Tipping Seth, he tossed him down to the canvas on his back and Rebel stalked closer as he cried out in pain, aware of Dean rising to his feet while Big Show turned his attention to the copper blonde once again. “C’mon Seth, Dean! You guys can do this!” She called out in encouragement, wanting to just jump in there with them immediately – though Seth managed to catch her eye and give a tiny shake of his head. He didn’t want her in there yet.

Meanwhile, Show punched Dean in the gut and then tossed him out of the ring. Abandoning a still rattled Roman and Seth, rising to his feet, Rebel jogged around to Dean to check on him – hoping fervently that Seth’s knee would hold up after it’s collision with the barrier during their previous match. “Dean?” But he waved at her, already trying to struggle up to his feet. She was close enough that he grabbed her vest for leverage and even though it made her stumble slightly, she tucked a hand under his arm – but let him go at his own pace.

When she looked up at the ring again, the giant had Seth in the corner, though not for long. He threw Seth out of the ring and as she pulled away from Dean – who had immediately released her vest like he wanted her to go, she realised he was clutching the knee she’d been worried about while writhing in pain. “Shit,” She hissed under her breath – running to his side. “Seth – your knee,” She worried and he winced in pain as he looked up at her.

“It’ll be okay – I just need a minute.” They both heard a thud behind them and when they looked, Big Show had speared Roman to the canvas. “Go.” He told her, “Now.” Rebel nodded and took a deep breath.

“Now.” She murmured, rising to her feet and quickly sliding into the ring, calling “Hey!” to the giant in order to draw his attention from Roman’s prone form.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” He demanded of her, moving a little closer. Rebel didn’t even flinch, taking a step closer of her own determinedly.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s you against _The Shield_ , and me? I’m part of The Shield.” She told him, watching surprise colour his face. When he chuckled, she growled, and launched forward quickly before leaping into a dropkick – planting her feet against his chest hard. Rebel was vaguely aware of the screaming crowd as she landed, quickly rising up again and turning to see that Show had stumbled back against the ropes. She’d been hoping he might fall but he was a lot bigger than her, even if she wasn’t _small_. Maybe off balance was all she could really ask for.

There was a fierce look on her face, keeping Big Show’s attention as Dean pulled Roman from the ring and Seth ran around to join them. It left her alone with the giant but she showed no fear as they faced off. “You shouldn’t be in here.” The Big Show tried talking to her again, giving the rest of her team time to regroup, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Because I’m a woman?” Rebel demanded, “I’m not afraid of you, Big Show.” She ran at him, and he moved aside, thinking he was dodging another dropkick when she turned, bounced off the ropes and instead gave a much lower dropkick to his knee. The giant stumbled falling to one knee as she quickly rose up again and ran to the opposite ropes. Once more, she bounced off them to run towards Show – dropkicking his face this time. The crowd roared as Big Show reeled backwards, shaking his head slightly but not quite out.

“Oh, come _on_ ,” She muttered, rising up and again running the ropes in order to dropkick him again – except this time Big Show caught her by surprise, surging to his feet and catching her by the neck. Her feet left the floor as he got to his own and she grabbed his arm with both hands, lashing out at him with her feet. He glanced around them as Seth and Dean ran to opposite sides of the ring, though Rebel wasn’t aware of their attempt to rescue her from a chokeslam.

But instead of chokeslamming her, Big Show tossed her out of the ring, and she landed in an undignified heap – painfully – beside Roman. It felt like every bone in her body had rattled and for the moment, she lay there panting – back aching where again it had made contact with the floor. Thank god it had a little padding at least.

While Rebel and Roman tried to remember how to breathe, Seth and Dean toyed with Show. Ambrose slid in and Show moved towards him, only for Ambrose to slide out of the ring and Rollins to slide in. Except this time Seth didn’t quite escape from a hand Show managed to fist into his hair – Dean quick to get into the ring and leap on Show’s back, locking in a sleeper hold while Seth tried to force the giant to release his hair. With Show distracted by Dean on his back, Seth was successful in freeing his hair, moving around the ring as the giant stumbled backward, using both hands to pull on the arm around his neck.

Seth’s eyes lingered on Rebel and Roman both laying on the floor, curled up similarly for a moment before he forced his attention to the match – climbing in just as Big Show dropped backward and slammed Dean to the mat, forcing him to release the sleeper hold. As Dean rolled away and the giant rose back up to his feet, Seth ran forward to unleash some kicks and punches on the man, hoping to slow him down so that his teammates could gather themselves enough to present a united front. All he earned himself was a powerful headbutt that sent him careening to the canvas below. Seth scooted back a little as Show stalked towards him, lifting a hand to attempt to ward him off (not that it worked.) All four of them were hurting – not exactly the way their newest member had envisioned their match. The architect was damn sure they could pull through, however, like they always did.

Managing to grab a fistful of Show’s singlet to haul himself up, Seth found himself well acquainted with the canvas once more after another headbutt. Rebel forced herself up from the floor a moment later when she heard the architect _screaming_ , only to realise that Big Show was standing on her teammate. Dragging herself into the ring and forcing herself up to her feet even though her back protested her doing so, she ran up behind the giant and used all her strength to drag him off Seth. Not looking to see who was pulling, Big Show threw an elbow back that caught her directly across the face. Rebel dropped to the canvas, seeing stars and rolled toward the edge, wrapping both arms around her head as she attempted to stop the way it was spinning. Big Show, meanwhile, kept his attention on Seth – grabbing a fistful of his hair as he sat up and throwing him bodily from the ring. Landing on his knee again, Seth clutched at it while Dean pushed himself out of his corner to try and stop the giant. Show clotheslined him not once, but twice when he dared get up again, and the next time Dean managed to make it to his feet, the giant whipped him into the corner. Dean’s back hit the turnbuckle hard, and Big Show’s body collided with him a moment later, forcing all the air from his lungs.

Stumbling out of the corner as Big Show moved, the lunatic fringe was shoulder checked to the mat a moment later by the behemoth. Rebel was vaguely aware of his roar as he lifted a hand, lifting her head to see Dean stand up – only for the same hand that had wrapped around her throat earlier in the match to wrap around his. Her mind screamed at her that she _had to get up_ but her body wasn’t feeling much like cooperating. Desperately, she rolled onto her front and managed to get her knees beneath her, even though her head was still spinning. But then Seth was there, and she sighed in relief as he struck at the back of the knee her own dropkick had targeted earlier and immediately rolled out again. Show dropped Dean, stumbling into the ropes and Rebel reached back for the ropes closest to her, hoping to use them for leverage to get to her feet – only to duck out of the way when Dean ran towards them, bouncing off them and dropkicked the giant, who fell down to one knee while Seth climbed the turnbuckle.

Now she forced herself up to her feet, clutching at the ropes while trying to keep her balance, watching closely as Seth jumped out at Big Show, knocking him down to the mat with a knee. The canvas shaking forced her to lock her knees to keep stable, and she took a deep breath – watching hopefully as Dean covered their opponent.

Only to be launched off him as the giant kicked out. Their night wasn’t over yet. She dipped her head, panting as Dean rose up, and Seth favoured his knee while doing the same – and damn it, Big Show started to rise to his feet as well. But her boys tried to use this to their advantage, each wrapping an arm around the giant’s neck, and his around their shoulders in an attempt to suplex him – only for Show to turn it on them and suplex both boys to the mat instead. The only good point of this was that at least the giant was off his feet as she pushed away from the ropes. She could see Roman, looking a little woozy himself getting up from the floor and did her best to delay the giant from rising to his feet.

Not feeling coordinated enough for a dropkick, she lashed out with forceful kicks to the man’s side – but he batted her away quickly and off balance, she dropped back to the canvas and stayed – world spinning. Roman was in now though and she hoped for the best as Big Show straightened up and turned toward him. Hallelujah, her big guy landed a spear – though the canvas shook again as they landed, all 5 competitors panting for air. No one was in shape to attempt a pin, but as Dean managed to get to his feet, and Seth followed – he seemed to have something else in mind. Not wanting to be in their way, Rebel used the ropes to drag herself back up to a vertical base as well, though she leaned against the turnbuckle for the moment.

They got Roman to his feet too, making sure he was steady before Seth and Dean grabbed hold of the giant to pull him up from the floor. He was bigger than most of their other opponents, and a little harder to manoeuvre but her boys managed it. Romans signifying roar made her tingle from head to toe and she straightened up a little – if they could all be strong enough to do this, then she could gather herself. They’d been through plenty more than her, after all. With a little difficulty, they managed to get Big Show up on Roman’s shoulders, and one triple powerbomb later, after watching all her boys pile on for the pin, she stumbled forward to join them, mostly draped over Seth, though her arm splayed over Roman’s back – hand making contact with Dean as they ensured the giant could do nothing but stay down for the three count.

Slipping off Seth’s back as the bell rang, she groaned softly – and with a little help from him managed to rise up off the canvas. “Your knee,” She said, just as Seth looked at her with concern and murmured, “Your back.” The two smiled at each other and she leaned into him, tugging his arm around her shoulders. It looked like a friendly side hug, but she accepted a little of his weight, nodding encouragingly at him. Dean collected their belts and all four of them stumbled out of the ring, Roman looming on Rebel’s free side and wrapping an arm around her as well.

Pausing at the barrier, she left a hand on Seth’s back as he climbed over – and he turned to her as she hopped up and over it as well – with a little less grace than she would have liked this time, thanks to the aches and pains. His arm wrapped around her shoulder again and she was aware of Roman’s looming presence directly behind her – and Dean’s energy just behind him as together they limped backstage.

* * *

Back in the locker room, Rebel helped Seth ease down onto the couch – followed by Roman who looked like he thought about objecting for a few moments. Then she checked on Dean – he seemed the most energetic of the four of them, pausing her with a hand to her hip and the other to her cheek. Tipping her head back, he looked into her eyes, a frown of concern creasing his brows. “He elbowed you pretty good,” The man murmured, turning her face to look at the welt left behind.

“I’m alright,” She promised, though a little shiver raced through her as his thumb stroked over the slight swelling. “Come on, sit.” She encouraged, and to everyone’s surprise (including Dean’s own) he let her guide him to sit beside the others on the couch. Just like she had after their match with Dolph, she collected ice packs for them all, while the boys shrugged out of their tactical vests carefully. Rebel helped Roman get the ice tucked behind his back and across his ribs where necessary, Seth held one to his knee and his head – Dean just stared at his like he had no idea what to do with it before reaching out as Rebel turned to go to the other couch and yanked her down into his lap.

She cringed slightly at the sudden movement but didn’t seem otherwise bothered, letting him arrange her until he could gently place the ice pack she’d given him to her injured cheek. “Figured you could use it more.” He told her, and a glance at her other surprised boys told her that this was a good sign. She supposed they didn’t _trust_ her fully yet, but she was one of them right now and she could only appreciate that.

“Rest up,” Seth told her, “Because we’re not done for the night.”

“We aren’t?” She asked him, shifting to sit up a little more in Dean’s lap – trying hard not to nudge Seth’s legs with her own. The architect shook his head and she leaned back against the armrest, holding the ice to her cheek herself now.

“Nah,” Dean spoke up. “Orton’s coronation is tonight.” He could only chuckle at her when her nose wrinkled, “We’re… security, right boys?”

“Right.” Roman grunted, and Rebel sighed.

“Alright then. But we’re icing until then. How’s your knee feeling, Seth?”

“Not fantastic but it’ll hold up. We can rest it after tonight. I promise.” He winked at her, and Rebel laughed, nodding. It felt like she’d known them for years already, even though she didn’t know much about them and vice versa. She felt like she’d finally found a place where she fit in.

“What about your ribs, Ro?”

The big man smiled at her, “They’ll be fine. Now I remember how to breathe, you know.” Rebel could only laugh in response to that.

“I know the feeling,” She glanced at Dean now, meeting his eyes which were still trying to see through her, in a sense. He wanted to read her, to understand her – to make sure that he was doing the right thing here, allowing her into their team even though he’d been so against it at first. After all, she seemed so fearless – ready and willing to jump in and put her body on the line for them, for The Shield and she seemed like she genuinely cared already. Already, he liked her, but Dean Ambrose’s walls took time to come down and he hadn’t quite let them yet, even if he had been surprisingly welcoming so far.

He realised a few moments later that she’d asked about him and he smirked at her, “I’m always alright sweetcheeks.” Despite the sassy quip, she laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek without thinking. It could have made the moment awkward, but – didn’t. Especially not since Roman flicked on their monitor less than a second after she’d done it by sheer coincidence and their attention was drawn to the screen.

* * *

A little less than 40 minutes later, Rebel was shoving their ice packs back into the freezer while the boys put their vests back on – so they could head back out to the ring for the coronation their bosses had planned for Randy Orton. The news had reached them too that Daniel Bryan was back in the building.

The four of them stood at the base of the ramp, spread out evenly. Dean, Roman, Rebel and then Seth – facing the top of the ramp, where their coworkers and the rest of the locker room was stood. Hunter was walking down toward them while they all watched on seriously – and Rebel wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. While she’d had an idea of what had been going on, she was still somewhat thrown in the deep end here compared to her other teammates – but nonetheless, she was prepared for anything that might come their way.

Seth, herself and Roman moved aside slightly to allow Hunter room to pass, though their boss paused to look at all of them for just a moment. Each of them gazed back at him, face unflinching and serious. Not afraid of him, not challenging him but not sombre in the way of those at the top of the ramp were. They stepped back into place when he moved past them, and Rebel listened to the sound of Motorhead pumping through the arena while keeping the big screen in her peripheral to ease the temptation to turn around and see what was taking place with Vince, Stephanie and Hunter in the ring behind them. All four of the Shield looked like this was the first time they’d been out that night, not a single one of them prepared to show any weakness right now. They were a united front, standing tall.

Vince McMahon started speaking and she only paid vague attention to the words, finding this whole coronation ridiculous. She was fairly sure her boys were on the same page as her with that, but no one was quite willing to put it into words just yet, still figuring each other out. It made sense – Hunter and Stephanie had brought her into the Shield after all, and neither her teammates, nor her bosses knew that Rebel didn’t give a damn about being loyal to them.

Inclined to say that she was here for herself, she also knew that she was growing attached to her teammates very quickly. She liked each of them and she felt somewhat like she’d found where she belonged. Rebel was loyal to those she cared about, so the fact that she was growing attached to them so quickly was a good sign for the team. And she was sure that they didn’t really care about being the Authority’s lackies all that much either, but for now it was working out alright. She wondered how long it would work out for. But that was probably something they could decide together.

It was lucky, Rebel thought, that her bored face was much the same as her serious face. She had what they called resting bitch face at the best of times, so even though she was _so bored_ by the speech Hunter was giving behind her, she still just looked like she was taking her role as security seriously. Of course, in addition to being incredibly bored by her boss’s rambling, she was internally angered by it. Daniel Bryan not being enough to be champion? Fucking ridiculous. But right now, she couldn’t exactly take a stand on it. Instead she had to suffer through the mind-numbing posturing happening in the ring as Hunter told them all that he buried his personal feelings to do what was right. Surely, eventually – justice would actually prevail and maybe she and the Shield would genuinely be at the centre of it – but right now, Randy Orton was on his way out for his part in this stupid coronation.

As per usual, the viper meandered down the ring at a snail’s pace and Rebel fought the urge to roll her eyes – she had to play nice right now. Instead, she and Roman stepped aside slightly to allow him to pass, before moving back into place. She glanced between Seth, Roman and Dean for just a second before looking straight ahead once more and listening to Randy Orton beginning his posturing. Rebel hoped her assessment was right, and that her teammates would only ask her to play along for so long.

“You know what, hold on um – Shield guys, Ambrose, Reigns, Rebel, Rollins,” Well, at least Hunter hadn’t dismissed her presence, she was okay with being one of the guys in this case. She and Roman turned the most, while Dean and Seth glanced over their shoulders at their boss as he continued. “Can you do me a favour? You guys are a little intimidating, he’s probably scared. You guys mind moving to the side?” He gestured to one side of the ring. The four of them looked at each other, Rebel shrugged dramatically, as Seth lifted his hands, all of them moving in the direction they’d been gestured to without objection as Hunter continued. “I don’t want anybody touching Daniel Bryan, anybody on that stage gets involved, touches Daniel Bryan there’s gonna be problems, that includes you.” He pointed at The Shield members, gathered together off to one side. Rebel fought the urge to roll her eyes again, but Hunter droned on. “Daniel Bryan come on out, wherever you are.”

It took a little while, with Hunter and Vince deciding to make him feel ‘at home’ by getting the crowd to chant yes, and playing his music. Slowly, Daniel approached the ring and Hunter kept gesturing him on.

No one had clued her in on what was going to happen the moment he was on the ring apron – it wasn’t until Seth nudged her and hissed “ _Go_ ,” that she tumbled along with them – Seth and Dean launching into attack mode and striking as they pulled him down from the apron. While she didn’t agree with her bosses often, at least she felt in a wrestling match that it was what they had signed up for when they joined this business, no matter how unfair the reasoning might be behind their matches. Plus, if they were really interfering for the sake of justice, it might have felt _right_ but this? This felt… kind of scummy.

Still, she kept her game face on, allowing Seth and Dean to do the initial man-handling. Though then he kicked Roman in the stomach, and punched Dean, then bounced Seth’s head off the stairs, she sprang into action. Admittedly, Rebel probably didn’t put as much strength into her strike as she could have but when Daniel grabbed her, he didn’t hold back as he slammed her face first into the stairs and literally tossed her atop Seth. Roman was the next to hit the stairs, at a higher speed too, dislodging them and falling to the ground with a groan.

Dean latched onto Daniel, trying to prevent the man from getting into the ring as Hunter took point inside it, gesturing Orton back. The lunatic fringe managed to dislodge Daniel from the apron, pushing him back and striking at him, while Rebel rolled off Seth and the remaining three Shield members tried to find their feet again. While Dean and Daniel struggled up toward the ramp, Seth ran up to axe handle a strike to the latter’s back. It broke up the grip he and Dean had on one another but Daniel took the chance to lash out and kick Seth’s injured knee, and as he dropped down to his knees because of it, he launched another kick at his head. Rebel launched past Dean, and Seth to attack – only to be caught under the arm and tossed to the ramp. She landed on the metal grating with a thud, grunting as her already aching back connected – only to have Dean land atop her a second later from the exact same defence.

Ambrose landing on her knocked all the wind from her lungs and caused pain to shoot through her ribs – though maybe she’d at least managed to soften his landing. She coughed as Dean writhed slightly atop her, sliding down a little and allowing her enough relief from his weight in order to suck in a full breath. Glancing down the ramp as Hunter again ushered Daniel to join he and the others in the ring, Rebel realised she couldn’t see Roman at all. He wasn’t where he’d fallen – which meant he was likely crouched in ambush, and that was why their boss was so quick to urge the smaller wrestler on.

The moment Daniel was in position, she saw her assumption was correct and Roman catapulted out of his position, spearing the hell out of Daniel Bryan and bringing him down to the floor.

She tried to shift but half of Dean’s body was still atop hers, weighing her down – and honestly, every muscle protested the attempt, so maybe it was for the better. But then suddenly Dean’s weight was gone and when she looked for Seth, he was gone too – both men running to attack the winded and rattled Daniel Bryan. Not wanting to be left out, however much she disagreed with this, Rebel rolled over and despite the pain, pushed herself up to her feet.

From the ramp, she met Hunter’s triumphant eyes, followed by Stephanie’s – and she could feel Randy Orton’s eyes on her form. Guarding her ribs with one arm, she trotted down the ramp and over to her teammates in time to give them a little help lifting Daniel Bryan from the floor. Roman roared, and that tingling sensation zipped through her again – ruined only by Hunter’s voice interjecting as it looked like they might lift Daniel onto Roman’s shoulders.

“Woah, woah, no, no, no, no, no, hold on, hold on, put him down, put him down, stop. Put him down.” All four of them looked up at their boss like they were unimpressed with this interruption, but Dean and Seth obligingly lowered Daniel back down before dropping him down to the ground. “Stop. That’s not what I want. Daniel Bryan clearly has something to say. Daniel.” He gestured for The Shield to step back somewhat and Rebel lingered by Roman’s side now, staring up at their boss heatedly while not approaching the man on the floor. “Let him come in the ring and say it. Daniel, you wanna come in here? You wanna come in? Come on. Say it.” He gestured casually, while turning away.

Seth stepped up a little closer to Rebel’s side and she shared a glance with him, before looking at Roman, utterly focused on Daniel Bryan and Dean, still staring at their boss. “Come on. Get if off your chest.” Daniel started to sit up, and Rebel was uncomfortably aware of her heart pounding in her chest, not sure if there was going to be some kind of cue to start beating on the man _yet again_ from the power-hungry man standing in the ring ahead of them. “Come on Daniel, you can do it. Come on, show some guts, come on.” Hunter continued, while Dean backed up a little to join his teammates in watching as Daniel reached for the ring apron to help pull himself up from the ground. “That’s it. That’s it!” Hunter encouraged condescendingly, crouching down as Daniel worked his way to his feet. “Come on. That’s that fighting spirit, c’mon! You got it.” Randy hunched over well, peering down at Daniel while the man glared intensely back at the mocking figure of Triple H.

Finally, Daniel got up on the apron, still using the ropes to support himself while Hunter drabbled on with his mocking tone – both he and Orton straightening up as Daniel got closer to actually getting into the ring with them. Randy pouted equally as mockingly as the smaller man climbed through the ropes, still glaring – and with his attention Hunter, the moment he was through the ropes, the viper launched into an RKO, driving Daniel Bryan to the canvas.

Deep down, Rebel was disappointed, even though honestly, she couldn’t say she was surprised. With so many people at his behest here, of course Daniel was never going to get to do anything satisfying to Hunter, like even land a punch. If only. But she kept her face passive as she watched the finale of this ridiculous display taking place in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like I said, please let me know if you hate the matches? I'm still fairly new to writing them so my descriptions may not be fantastic and I know so far they've made a large portion of this story. I also do think due to kayfabe being reality in this story, that it's necessary to have the storyline crafted on screen in this story but if you're really not enjoying it, I can bring the level of it down a degree.
> 
> With that said, the next chapter should be more focused on them in their downtime, without a RAW show in sight!
> 
> Thank you so much to the people who've shown this story support so far, I really do appreciate it and I'm totally open to your feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Please don’t tell me you’re as crazy as this bastard.” Seth said, with affection in his voice. Dean growled at him playfully, and Rebel smiled to herself – enjoying the playful banter within the group. Meanwhile Roman was quietly evaluating the three of them.
> 
> “Sorry to inform you, Seth but I definitely have a Moxley side.” Rebel replied. “Maybe not quite as crazy,” She said, looking fondly at Dean who surprisingly did not growl at her, “But I’ve been acquainted with barbed wire a time or two. Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll show you the scar from that one day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, my usual disclaimer - this is fiction and I own nothing, believe in that. I just have way too many ideas floating around in my brain!
> 
> Secondly, I am so sorry this has taken so long. It's been a hell of a time, between the pandemic, my mental health and some other life things. I've literally had this chapter open and slowly being built for so damn long... I wanted it up before now and I just never was happy with it – and to be honest, I am still not happy with it but if I keep sitting on it I don't know when you'll get it and you deserve an update.
> 
> So here it is, and I will just move on from the struggle to write this chapter, and onto the next one! I do have big plans for this story and I am determined to get them on paper somehow, even if it takes a while. Thank you so much for being patient with me.

“Holy shit.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at Rebel as she stood in the middle of their suite, looking around like she’d never seen one before. Maybe she hadn’t. He sure as hell hadn’t before he joined this team. “Authority dollar pays for a lot, huh?”

She turned to smile at him, “Knew there had to be some perks to working for them.” The blonde said playfully. “Which room is mine? I think I have a date with a hot shower.”

Seth barked a laugh, even though none of the three men could blame her for looking forward to a hot shower, after the way she’d thrown herself in there with them on RAW that day. Rebel might not be a fully-fledged member of the team yet, but she was making a good argument for it. “You’re on this side, with me – Dean and Ro are on that side.”

“Awesome. See you in a while for dinner?”

* * *

Dinner the night before had been a fairly quiet affair. Roman found a movie they could all settle on (the second Terminator movie was playing) and they had all taken a seat and eaten in relative silence. But it was companionable silence. Then she and Seth had retreated to their room, bidding one another goodnight. Rebel had slept well after that, full belly, aching body – and when she woke, most of her body’s complaints were gone. A little tenderness lingered but that was the life of a wrestler.

Shaking out her limbs, she headed out to the common area of the suite after finding the bed beside hers empty. Rebel found the other three members of the Shield lingering in the kitchen area. Dean and Seth were sitting at the counter and Roman was cooking up a storm. “Smells good, big guy.” She commented. They all turned to her, and every single one of them – even Seth, who’d seen her in her pyjamas the night before – dropped their eyes to the long, shapely legs that were on show thanks to her booty shorts.

A smile danced across her lips, allowing herself a moment to examine them all in their various states of undress while their eyes travelled back up to her face. “Thanks baby-girl. Take a seat.” Roman recovered enough to reply first and she smiled at him, partly in amusement before walking over to take a seat between Dean and Seth. The latter of whom cleared his throat as she did.

“Sleep well? Is your back okay after yesterday?”

“Yeah I slept really well. I’m a little achey but that’s the life, right?” Her ribs felt better too, after being the landing cushion for Dean the evening before. “How are you guys going?”

“Never better, baby-girl.” Roman answered, smoothly placing a plate of food in front of her before plating up the food for the rest of them.

“So,” Dean asked, “You discovered wrestling literally because your last name is Hardy?”

“Mhm,” Rebel replied around a mouthful of egg, only replying when she’d swallowed. “Kinda hard not to, when you have that last name and you’re growing up in North Carolina, you know? They were heroes. For all of us, but especially me. And I mean, kids made assumptions – they thought were were cousins or something. I tried not to claim anything, since obviously we’re not related, and I’ve never met them in my life, but it gave me a sort of level of infamy in school.” Rebel laughed.

“And Jeff’s… scandals?” Seth asked hesitantly.

“I mean – yeah I did have some kids ask me about it I guess but they were largely forgiving at the time and I couldn’t tell them shit. I did kind of wonder personally if he’s a bit of a self-saboteur in a sense but I don’t know the guy. I’ve always just hoped that he would figure things out. And then the stuff in 2009 was after I’d left school and while I was wrestling but no one really knew my last name anymore. So no one questioned me about it really. Again, I’ve just always hoped that Jeff would figure it out, and Matt too you know?”

“You’re sweet.” Dean gruffed, and Rebel blushed but smiled at him. “What kinda matches have you done?”

He allowed her the grace to finish another couple of mouthfuls before she started answering, “Obviously I started off with the basics. They’d barely let me in the ring when I started because I was so young. But once I finally got started, I was keen to do as much as I could. And I mean, remember I grew up on a diet of tag team TLC content.”

“You’ve worked with tables, ladders and chairs?” Dean pressed.

“All of the above, yes. I have a scar…” She paused, twisting in her seat and lifting her arm to show Dean a scar that ran along part of her upper back and onto her side just below her armpit. “Busted through the table but the metal support busted through me. That sucked. But I still won.” Rebel grinned devilishly at him. He nodded at her, but there was a glint in his eye that she recognised.

“Please don’t tell me you’re as crazy as this bastard.” Seth said, with affection in his voice. Dean growled at him playfully, and Rebel smiled to herself – enjoying the playful banter within the group. Meanwhile Roman was quietly evaluating the three of them.

“Sorry to inform you, Seth but I definitely have a Moxley side.” Rebel replied. “Maybe not quite as crazy,” She said, looking fondly at Dean who surprisingly did not growl at her, “But I’ve been acquainted with barbed wire a time or two. Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll show you the scar from that one day.”

“What, we can’t already see it?” Dean asked, and she realised that his eyes were lingering on her exposed legs. She snorted, eating another mouthful and giving him a look that told him _no_ , they definitely couldn’t see it yet.

For a little while, they drifted into an easy silence, outside of the sound of all of them chewing. But toward the end of breakfast, when they were enjoying a few moments with their coffee cups, Roman cleared his throat. “What about your family, babygirl?”

Rebel busied herself with the mug for a few long moments before clearing her throat, “Well – I think I mentioned that it was just me and my mom. I don’t really know anything about my father. Mom said he was sweet but sad, and I got the impression that they never _really_ had a true relationship. I don’t even know if he knows I exist. She never said anything bad about him but when I asked she just kept putting it off. Wasn’t the right time, stuff like that. It was the only real point of contention between us. Even me wrestling didn’t make those kind of waves between us.”

Roman’s eyes were soft as he took her in, as were Seth’s, deep with sympathy that only made her mildly uncomfortable. Dean was harder to read but she thought she could see understanding in his expression. “She must be proud of you now. Getting signed.” Seth smiled at her.

Rebel managed one in return but it didn’t have quite as much heart, “Um. Actually… she died. Last year. She was really proud I was making a name for myself on the indies but… I wish she did get to see me signed. Wish she got to see us last night. Meet you guys. She would have loved you all.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, open mouth insert foot.” Seth said, eyes widening with a hint of panic that made Rebel laugh. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, before patting his arm lightly.

“It’s okay. You have to deal with what is, in life and this is what is.”

* * *

Despite Seth clearly feeling like a jerk, the rest of the morning had gone smoothly. Rebel had another fantastic, hot shower before getting changed and making sure all of her stuff was packed before they headed off to the next city. Dean had warned her that often they did that trip the night before so they had the whole day to themselves and she’d seemed open enough to the idea. Rebel also hadn’t complained when she found herself in the backseat, unlike Seth who complained bitterly that it was Dean’s turn – and Dean who teased him in return about being too slow to get the front.

Roman, of course, was the big brother who smoothed over all the squabbles – and the sometimes physical bickering that engaged (like a poking war that almost had Rebel crying with laughter and left Seth pouting after being told off – while Dean beamed because he’d gotten the last jab in.) Even though she knew she wasn’t fully _in_ yet, she was well pleased to know that they had started accepting her.

When they’d arrived in the next city, she joined Seth for a quick workout at the closest crossfit gym. He’d beamed because she went with him even though they discovered she was not truly a fan of it – but she promised that she’d still work out with him sometimes anyway. It was a good thing they had worked out though, because Dean coaxed them all into trying a diner he’d eaten at once before and she had the largest bowl of mac n cheese she’d ever seen in her life. It was heavenly. Rebel considered begging the motherly looking woman who obviously was part-owner of the little business for the recipe; but it hadn’t come to that.

Actually, while she’d done her best puppy eyes and complimented the food, Dean had used his raspy sex appeal to actually get the job done. Rebel had left empty-handed, and even though Dean scowled at a smirking Seth in the front seat when he came out to get in beside Rebel, he held out a small recipe card to her.

“Oh my god, you got it?” Ruffling his hair awkwardly, Dean nodded and jolted when the woman let out a tiny squeal that none of them had expected. Launching across the seats, she hugged him tight and planted a kiss on his cheek before plucking the recipe card from his fingers. “You’re a fucking legend! I promise I will make you all the mac n cheese your heart desires!”

He actually blushed, much to Rebel’s surprise and for a few moments they sat in utter silence – very close, with total eye contact until Roman interrupted and said they needed seatbelts on before he’d start driving. With a blush to match, she pulled away back to her seat but couldn’t wipe the grin off.

The house show went just as smoothly as RAW had, with Rebel proving again that she had their backs at every opportunity and wanted to be just as instrumental a member of their team as the others. Every time she jumped in the ring, distracted who she needed to for their recovery or took a blow for them, a little piece of the wall came down. It was only night two, yes but she was slotting in perfectly just the way the three of them had when they’d been contacted by Heyman about an opportunity to make it to the main roster.

Who were they to deny that?


End file.
